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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · mug · capital · hide · root · staff · band · chest

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. last — finally
  3. mug — to rob
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — to go on
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mug — a cup
  8. band — a ring
  9. chest — of your body
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. root — of a plant
  13. band — a music group
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mug — a face
  17. capital — a city
  18. chest — a box
  19. root — the cause
  20. staff — employees
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — of a word
  23. last — final
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com